The present invention relates to a vehicle wash apparatus and in particular to a wash apparatus containing spinning nozzle assemblies for use in cleaning vehicles, particularly large vehicles, in a "touchless wash system" wherein no brushes, etc. contact the vehicle surface.
Two methods are typically used in cleaning motor vehicles. One method involves the use of rags, brushes, etc. to scrub the vehicle surface to remove dirt, salt, etc. The scrubbing can often damage the vehicle surface by scratching or otherwise marring the surface finish. In addition, a complex wash apparatus is required to scrub large vehicles such as tractor-trailer trucks. Because of the many different sizes and shapes of trucks, it is also difficult to develop one apparatus that can thoroughly clean all trucks.
The other method used to clean vehicles is a so called touchless method that utilizes high water pressure to remove the dirt and salt from the vehicle. Many touchless wash systems utilize a manually held water nozzle at the end of a wand. This enables the user to move the nozzle along the vehicle surface, in close proximity to the vehicle, to fully utilize the water pressure in cleaning the vehicle and to ensure that the entire vehicle surface is cleaned. It is necessary to keep the nozzle close to the vehicle to prevent pressure loss in the water between the nozzle and the vehicle. As a result, only a relatively small surface area can be sprayed at a given time by the nozzle. By being a manual device, it is time consuming to use in cleaning a truck.
It is the object of this invention, therefore, to provide a touchless wash system to clean large vehicles quickly and effectively.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a wash system with nozzles mounted to a fixed structure rather than to use hand held nozzles.
It is another object of the invention to provide a system that is capable of cleaning vehicles of various sizes.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a system having nozzles which cover large areas of the vehicle surface and still maintain sufficient water pressure to thoroughly clean the vehicle.
The wash apparatus of the present invention includes an arch structure supporting a number of spinning nozzle assemblies. Each nozzle assembly includes one or more water outlet nozzles which are rotatably mounted to the assembly housing. Rotation of the nozzles about the axis of the nozzle assembly enables each nozzle to cover larger surface areas of the vehicle. The nozzles are directed so that the water jet is at an angle to the axis of rotation such that the reaction force of the water spray jet on a nozzle provides the driving forces to cause rotation. The reaction force creates a moment about the nozzle assembly axis to cause the rotation.
Each nozzle assembly includes an internal hydraulic pump mechanism which is used to restrict the maximum rotational speed of the nozzles by pumping oil through a circulating path within the nozzle assembly. The oil circulation path includes an adjustable flow restrictor such that the braking force of the hydraulic pump can be varied to adjust the maximum speed of nozzle rotation. The circulating oil is further used to lubricate the bearings within the nozzle assembly.
Each water nozzle is surrounded by an air nozzle having peripheral air vents to draw air into the nozzles. The air forms a sheath of high velocity air surrounding the water jet. The air sheath is used to maintain the integrity of the water jet stream as the water travels from the nozzle to the vehicle surface so as to maximize the water jet impacting force with the vehicle surface. This enables the distance between the nozzle and vehicle surface to be increased without reducing the performance of the wash system.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.